Student Reflections

Reflection is a central part of the Storytelling & Film: Senior Experience course and a defining element of its embedded work-based learning approach. Through interviews, written reflections, behind-the-scenes documentation, and collaborative ePortfolio work, students critically examine not only what they created, but how they worked, communicated, adapted, and grew throughout the filmmaking process.

These reflections help students connect classroom learning to professional practice while strengthening key National Association of Colleges and Employers Career Readiness Competencies such as communication, teamwork, leadership, professionalism, critical thinking, and career and self-development.

In Their Own Words - Early Semester

Shay Moccio

"Week two! I have so many thoughts and feelings about this past week and will try to do my best to put it into words. First and foremost, I am so grateful to be able to get input and support from the mentors.

This experience wouldn't be nearly as impactful without their amazing input and incredibly helpful critiques. I feel so much more confident in this production knowing we have such experienced people working alongside us, helping us learn as filmmakers and storytellers.”

Chance Coleman

"Both scripts have become much more polished since their first drafts which were really only a couple of days ago, so I commend the writers who worked on both scripts.

Collaborating has been a very helpful tool in this class. Everyone is super ready and excited to give out their ideas on how they can contribute to the scripts or even ideas that can help bring our vision to life. Overall collaboration is helping me and our group become better classmates and production crews.”

Lilly Hastings

“These past few weeks have been very beneficial to me. The future career that I want to go into is Production Design for Theatre and Film. I’m very thankful for this class because they were able to connect with me and let me ask my questions to a Production designer Lou A. Trabbie who has worked on multiple shows.

We also got to talk to a Cinematographer Dalton Pope, who has worked with Jacob Young on a lot of his projects. My classmate and I were very excited to talk to people who have worked in the industry,"

In Their Own Words - Mid Semester

Zach Greene

"To be honest, this class has always been stressful, but what class isn’t. But this week really put a fire under me.

With filming getting closer and closer, everything has become a lot more real. What really shifted for me this week was my position as sets and props. I have never done sets or props before hand, so coming into this role, I was both completely nervous and lost on what I was meant to do.

As class progressed, I became more confident in my role, but this week was really my time to shine. I went to the theater storage and created a shopping list of what we needed for the film. It was rewarding to finally feel like I was providing for the group!"

Jamie Walter

"One thing that shifted for me was my communication and how smooth group work can be in the right situation. Usually it’s hard for me to speak up, especially in online settings as we’ve mainly been having this semester, but when we finally met in person, I was intentional about participating and interacting with my fellow classmates.

I especially noticed this during the five-minute exercise when Deborah had us come up with a plot and characters based on a fictional movie title. I noticed that my decision-making became quicker, and when it came to problem-solving, we were able to come up with some creative solutions together by building off of each other’s individual ideas.

A lot of that class was about going with the flow and not overthinking while still listening and keeping an open mind to what others were saying. I feel like that experience cemented what the rest of the filmmaking process is going to feel like.”"

Ian Turner

"This week, the class had the opportunity to work in person with guest lecturers Priya Vashist and Deborah Wallace. It was great to finally be in a space with everyone while actively engaged in a lecture setting.

A moment that made me adjust was when Deborah selected me to be in the Mike Leigh inspired improv exercise. It showed me that anything can happen with a creative team, and that one must be able to respond to the unexpected.

As I begin my work with Perdita, I intend to employ a similar exercise during the rehearsal process. For the on-campus work, it is too early to say what impact they are currently having on everyone and the two projects. What I can attest to was that I sensed a very palpable and tangible feeling of progress in motion from the class.

For me, my biggest challenge going forward will be getting my team rolling on pre-production for Perdita based on my experience this week."

In Their Own Words - End of Semester

Solomon Faataui

"This week, I noticed a shift in how I approach communication and problem-solving during the filmmaking process. There were moments where things didn’t go exactly as planned, and instead of overthinking, I focused more on adapting in real time and working with the team to find quick solutions.

I also became more aware of how important clear communication is, especially when everyone is trying to stay on the same page under time pressure. This week helped move the film forward by clarifying certain creative choices and making our overall direction feel more focused. It also helped me better understand my role and how I can contribute more effectively to the group."

Jonathan Panganiban

"Throughout the semester I’ve kept busy with various responsibilities as I was developing the story. This was mostly due to my roles as scriptwriter and as the director of photography.

I would rewrite the script several times after receiving feedback from our class meetings and private meetings with classmates. and I spent a lot of time developing the shot list as well. I would also tackle responsibilities that weren’t part of those roles such as finding actors, helping to secure Borjo as a filming location, and mapping out the café for planning purposes, recreating the layout of the café in the soundstage.

I feel like I’ve built additional skills in leadership as I’ve tried to set an example in the amount of work that I’m willing to put into the project, and in collaboration as we had different moving pieces all coming together at once, and good teamwork was necessary to make sure that all these pieces fit together nicely."

Abigail Taylor

"Before taking this course, I wasn't sure what all went into making a film. I am a theatre major, so I'm used to the fast-paced, always moving environment. It was interesting to learn all the parts that go into a film. Like the pre and post productions. During the production, I was given the role of line producer. The Line producer is basically like a production manager. They handle all of the scheduling, call sheets, and contact information.

I really enjoyed the role that I was given. I felt that I was comfortable in it but there were times where I wasn't sure about some things. It was nice having the NGS mentors there. They gave really good feedback and helped us a lot during the production process."